Affiliations: Department of Neuropsychiatry, The Barberry, National
Centre for Mental Health, Birmingham and School of Clinical and Experimental
Medicine, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham,
Birmingham, UK | Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement
Disorders, Institute of Neurology and University College London, London,
UK
Note: [] Corresponding author: Prof Andrea E. Cavanna, Department of
Neuropsychiatry, The Barberry National Centre for Mental Health, 25 Vincent
Drive, Birmingham B15 2FG, UK. Tel.: +44 121 301 2317; Fax: +44 121 301 2291;
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Behavioural, cognitive and neuroanatomical characteristics of
Tourette syndrome (TS) encourage the investigation of social cognitive
abilities, which are critical for successful social interaction. This
exhaustive review covers studies which have addressed a range of abilities in
TS including the understanding of nonliteral language, socially inappropriate
exchanges, facial expressions and specific aspects of theory of mind. While the
changes in social cognition in TS appear subtle, suitably sensitive measures
such as the faux pas task highlight alterations in TS on tasks which involve
combinations of emotional information, conflicting perspectives and decision
making. Importantly, the differences on social cognitive tasks in TS do not
generally reflect a failure to attribute mental states, but rather reflect
unconventional responses to social information. Studies have yet to investigate
social cognition in children with TS, or evaluate the contribution of common
co-morbid disorders. Interpretation of the basis for task deficits is also
complex, and research using carefully matched tasks is needed. Nevertheless, it
is becoming evident that some aspects of social reasoning involved in decision
making are altered in uncomplicated TS, and further investigation in this area
may shed light on the mechanisms involved in some of the more socially
disabling symptoms associated with this condition.
Keywords: Tourette syndrome, tics, social cognition, theory of mind, neuropsychology
